Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1898 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

An Inexpensive Atomiser. This is made by soldering in a pint tin cup the device shown in the lower part of the illustration. To the halfmon shaped piece of tin is attached the long rectangular tube. The short, round tube at right angles to this reaches almost Hut not quite to the bottom of the eup. The top of this short tube is on a level with the bottom of the long one. By partially filling the cup with any

kind of an insecticide and blowing into the long tube a fine spray can be created. The little device is not patented and any tinsmith can make one. With kerosene a small herd of cattle can be sprayed for lice or to keep off flies in a very short time, f'or house plants it is especially adapted and convenient. Pure kerosene must be used very sparingly on either plants or animals.— Orange Judd Farmer. Oxford Down Fheep. This is a cross-bred sheep, the progeny of Hampshire ewes and Cotswold rams. It is the largest of the so-called “Down” breeds, the produce of the Southdown rams with various inferior but generally heavier races of ewes. These were as a yule coarse, and unthrifty in comparison with the highly cultivated sire. The face is not so dark as the Hampshire, and some times merely spotted or smutted, nor is the body so broad or heavy as that of this larger animat It is one of the best of mutton sheep, and the lambs are excellent and thrifty feeders. In some tests made at the Experiment Stations, this breed made the second highest score for dressed weight of carcass, making over 60 per cent., the Leicester alone surpassing it, and making slxty-two and three-quarters per cent. It is an excellent breed for crossing on common range flocks, and is hardy as well at thrifty. It has the advantage, too, of

making one of the best kinds of rams for crossing on farm flocks or for farmers’ use in its pure-bred form. It is remarkable for the depth of its fore quarter, as shown in tluf Illustration, which is a portrait of a first prize ram. Its fleece is of the worsted class, and used for a large variety of fabrics noted for their excellent wearing qualities. The fleece averages seven pounds. Avoid Extremes. Extremes are dangerous. One class of farmers do not feed enough for profit, especially after grass Is gone, while the other class believes In the theory of “the more feed the more product.” Both are wrong. An animal may consume more food than it can digest, making the product expensive. Feeding depends upon variety. Too much corn or ground grain In the summer season will cause bowel difficulty, and an excess In winter without the addition of bulky material gives no corresponding benefit, ns It Is voided. Give the animals a sufficiency, but not exclusively of one kind of food. XV nr with Germany. The whole suggestion of a war with Germany I* preposterous., Nowhere outside of Germany Is the true German character better understood and appreciated than In this country, and pur sure reliance for the continuation of our friendly relatione* rests on our knowledge of the good sense and Intelligence of the German people, who would be almost unanimous In their protest against the mere thought of so unnatural a struggle. Gruftina Pecans. It Is a mistake Idea that pecans will not grow' and thrive on high land. It Is of the same class and nature ns the hickory, and will thrive on any soil that the hickory will grow .on. The pecan may be successfully grafted on the tlckory by saw!.- , < the hickory stock

one to six or more inches in diameter, after the sap has started, so as to allow the bark to be readily separated from the wood. Cut grafts while dormant, ahd keep dortnant until ready for use. Shape the graft about one and one-half Inches in all on one side, and take off the bark on opposite side just so as to touch the wood, and insert in the stock by pressing it with the shaped side against the wood and between the wood and bark. Have the grafts about six or eight inches long, and mound up to top of graft with fine earth well packed oh.—Exchange. Value of Horae Manure. Different valuations are given horse manure, as it is made from many-dif-ferent substances It is estimated that a ton of manure contains about ten pounds of nitrogen, ten pounds of potash and four pounds of phosphoric acid, the value of which is about $2. It will be interesting sots farmers who buy manure to consider whether it will pay to haul manure a long distance unless it is of the most valuable kind. Manure from livery stables, which is composed mostly of straw, is not worth as much as that which is free from litter, hence when the farmer gives his labor and that of his team to haul a ton of manure a mile or more, as well as load and unload it, he may pay more for it than It is worth. Fertilizers are cheaper unless the manure is worth over $2 a ton.

. Our Corn Surplus, Explanation of the enormous increase in European corn requirements, evidenced In American exports, 206,500,000 past year, is largely found in the extended use In Continental Europe of corn instead of barley and other grains for cattle. Fritz Arnold, a leading German importer, says that with the cattle of Germany feeding on American corn there will be market for 150,000,000 in German agricultural districts alone, that a large share of the SIOO,OOO worth of corn that now goes weekly to Europe is for the German farmer, and that the rest of Europe is learning the same lesson.

Glen Mary (strawberry. The Glen Mary strawberry is rather soft, ns are most berries of large size, but of good quality, form and color and

exceedingly productive. This varle t y r equires good soil and clean culture to obtain size and uniformity, and for near-by market will pay for rich soil and careful culture. The

main objection Is the time of ripening, which brings it into the market in midseason at a time when even its large size will not command an extra price. The accompanying illustration is about half the usual size of the berry.

Hens* Neats. Hens will "steal” their nests in summer and find some secluded location where the ground appears moist. The fact has prompted some farmers to believe that a moist location should be preferred for hens that are incubating. The selection of the nesting place by the hen is not because the ground may be damp, but because she desires a cool location or to get rid of lice In the poultry house. In winter the hen prefers a warm and dry nest. Experiments show that sitting hens will hatch out as many chicks from the eggs when the nests are up on a dry hay mow as when they are located on damp ground. Rightaof Contractors. A private corporation has a right to collect from the people for gas and water and street car service and other public utilities only enough compensation to pay expenses and to provide a reasonable return on the capital actually Invested. Every cent collected above what is necessary for these purposes, belongs to the city, and the time will come when it will be recognized as Illegal for a corporation to capitalise the value represented by a public franchise and figure the franchise Itself as a part of the assets of the company.— Kansas City Star. Poultry Notes. Do not allow fowls to drink stagnant water. Soft shelled eggs are largely due to overfeeding. In fattening fowls cooked food Is better than raw. Be sure that the young chickens are fat when sent to market. Always feed turkeys and ducks when* you want them to roost. In a majority of cases It will pay to sell off the old In ns as soon ns they quit laying. It is a waste of feed to keep more roosters than are actually needed for breeding. a Keep all of the best of the early hatclnsl pullet*: they make the best winter layers. To grow ns they should little duck* require almost twice as much f<x»d as little chickens. More or less experience is absolutely necessary to making a success with poultry keeping. When a fowl or animal is making a rapid growth is the time to aid in orddr to make the most out of it. One reason that fowls given n good range are healthier is that they receive food best for digestion, with the ueces-

SIMPLE SPRAYING DEVICE.

THE OXFORD DOWN SHEEP.

THE GLEN MART.